Life on Earth ... 100 years into the future

Super skyscrapers, underwater cities and 3D-printed homes will all be a reality in 100 years' time, according to a new report on life in the future.
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of the future London skyline which features in the SmartThings Future Living ReportUndated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of the future London skyline which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of the future London skyline which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report

The SmartThings Future Living Report, which was commissioned by Samsung-owned internet of things firm SmartThings, was created by a group of academics and futurologists who suggest that in a century’s time humans will be able to live in ‘Earth-scrapers’, which will go up to 25 storeys underground.

The academics, which include future architects and urbanists as well as lecturers from the University of Westminster, suggest that ‘bubble cities’ will be created underwater making the depths habitable for humans.They also believe personal drones will become a staple mode of transport, as well as being used as futuristic “mules” to carry entire homes around the world for holidays.

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Space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who co-authored the report, said: “Our lives today are almost unrecognisable from those a century ago. The internet has revolutionised the way we communicate, learn and control our lives.

Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living ReportUndated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report

“Just 10 years ago, technology like SmartThings would have been inconceivable, yet today developments like this let us monitor, control and secure our living spaces with the touch of a smartphone. Over the next century we will witness further seismic shifts in the way we live and interact with our surroundings - working on the SmartThings Future Living Report with a panel of industry experts has allowed me to explore what these could be.”

The report also suggested that not only will furniture within homes become 3D-printed, but replicas of entire houses and structures could be printed. In the workplace, holograms will enable virtual meetings to take place.

3D-printing food - something already possible today - will also become smarter, with the ability to download dishes from our favourite chefs and print them, ready to eat, in minutes.

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The colonisation of the Moon and then Mars will also have taken place, with commercial flights into space now a regular occurrence, alongside smarter homes that will be able to house LED screen walls that can be changed to suit the mood, removing the need to redecorate.

Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living ReportUndated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report

Prepare for 50pc unemployment as robots fill our jobs

More than half of the human race could be unemployed in 30 years time as job vacancies are filled by machines, a scientist has predicted.

A life of leisure could be the norm for a majority of people in decades to come, according to computer expert Moshe Vardi – but he warns that it may not be a bed of roses.

Speaking at a major conference in the US, he considered the social implications of a global economy with greater than 50 per cent unemployment.

Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living ReportUndated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of an underwater city which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
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Professor Vardi, from Rice University in Houston, Texas, told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): “We are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task.

“I believe that society needs to confront this question before it is upon us: if machines are capable of doing almost any work humans can do, what will humans do?

“A typical answer is that if machines will do all our work, we will be free to pursue leisure activities.

“I do not find this a promising future, as I do not find the prospect of leisure-only life appealing. I believe that work is essential to human well-being.”

Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living ReportUndated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
Undated handout artist's impression issued by Samsung of a city on the moon which features in the SmartThings Future Living Report
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He added: “Humanity is about to face perhaps its greatest challenge ever, which is finding meaning in life after the end of ‘in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread’. We need to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge.”

Prof Vardi argued that the pace of progress in artificial intelligence was increasing, even as the same technology was eliminating growing numbers of middle-class “white collar” jobs and driving up income inequality.

In November last year the Bank of England’s chief economist warned that up to 15 million jobs in the UK are at risk of being lost to robots.

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